Notes / Commercial Description:
Named after one of the famous ’front four’ trails on Mt. Mansfield, this I.P.A. is brewed in the English tradition of pale ales shipped from Britain, around Africa, to India. Those ales contained extra hops and a higher alcohol percentage, which both served as natural preservatives. This ale holds true to those original, defining characteristics. Formerly known as "National IPA" at The Shed Restaurant & Brewery.

M: Medium-full bodied IPA with lots of juicy malts, some yeasty bits and a clingy hop resin to keep the palate busy while still maintaining and even-bodied drinkability.

O: Not a bad American IPA and a nice little boost there at 6% ABV which goes relatively undetected. It was good for a couple, but the palate could get burned out on its mediocrity or yeasty, oxidized off-flavors before too long. I'd get again, but would eagerly accept a more intriguing tap offering.

More User Reviews:

3.85/5 rDev +6.4%

From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #71 (December 2012):

The second installment of the resuscitated brand. Bold and very drinkable, a good quaff all around. Seek it out if you are looking at a good example of an English IPA which over the years has been overshadowed by the creation and growth of the American IPA.

Plenty of sediment in here but still pours a golden orange color with little haze and good lacing. So it looks okay, but that smell blew me away! It's all I want from an IPA - plenty of pine resin, a grapefruity citrus that's a hint sweet and a good toasted/ashy malt underbelly to support the whole thing. Taste is similar - medium sweetness, minimal bitterness, a bit bready, very smooth, compulsively drinkable. Less of a hop-bob than their Profanity, which was just bitter and one-dimensional. Not overly complex, but hits all the right notes right over the head and proves that there's more to delicious Vermont IPAs than Alchemist and Lawsons.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy amber color with lots of sediment - it's not a very pretty look. The head is a finger high, and off-white in shade. Retention is quite good, as is the creamy thickness of its texture. Splotches of lacing are left on the glass. (3)

Smell: The English-ness of this brew comes out moderately well. I'm picking up plenty of biscuity malt (Maris Otter?) which is counter-balanced by notes of orange sherbet, apricot, peach, and earth. It needs some time to open up, but it does evolve into a solid aroma eventually. (3.5)

Taste: The initial flavor is fruity - this focuses more on apricot and orange marmalade instead of grapefruit and pine. Bitterness builds up on the finish, as well as notes of caramel, bread, and tobacco. It tastes like an American pale ale yeast instead of an English one, as the aforementioned finish is a bit neutral. Personally, this is my biggest quibble: some nice British ale esters (like cherry) could have really sent this one over the top, and I'm said its absence only renders the rest flavor profile slightly above-average. (3.25)

Mouthfeel: Quite clean (for an unfiltered IPA) and crisp finishing. It's a little sweet on the back end, but the lingering malt presence is pleasant rather than suffocating. Carbonation cuts through the medium-full body well. (3.5)

Overall: If this had some proper ale esters to it, it could have been a great English-style IPA - even without being fresh. It's still pretty decent (if unimpressive). I'll gladly try it again, but it'll need to be fresher. (3.25)

3.26/5: Nothing particularly special, though fans of English-style IPAs will get a kick out of it